Greater Valley Glen Council ("GVGC")

Transcription

1 Greater Valley Glen Council ("GVGC") Victory Blvd., #136, Valley Glen, CA REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES August 6, 2018, 7:00 p.m. Los Angeles Valley College, Administration and Career Advancement Building, Room Fulton Ave. Valley Glen, CA Officers Sloan Myrick Jean Chadwick James Casey Mickey Jannol President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Board Members Michael Ashkinadze Youth Rep Malky Kertis District 4 Rep Joseph Barmettler At-Large Rep Cosmo Moore District 4 Rep James Casey District 6 Rep Sloan Myrick District 5 Rep Julie Casey District 6 Rep Thomas Newton Community Organizations Rep Joanne D Antonio District 1 Rep Jon Pelletier At-Large Rep September Forsyth At-Large Rep Dianna Rose District 3 Rep Stanley Friedman Religious Institutions Rep Linda Wehrli Commercial Property Rep Walter Hall Derek Iversen Mickey Jannol Community Organizations Rep District 5 Rep Commercial Property Rep Board of Neighborhood Commissioners Required Disclosures: 1) A Quorum for any GVGC Board Meeting is 13 Board Members. 2) Motions (or Official Actions) pass with a Majority of the sum of Yes and No votes cast. 3) The attached Vote Tally Sheet on Page 9 shows how each Board Member voted. 1

2 Secretary's Note: Each item # below matches the item# that appeared in the published agenda for this meeting. Call to Order was at 7:10 p.m. and commenced with the Pledge of Allegiance. 1. Board Roll Call. Fourteen (14) members present: Ashkinadze, Barmettler, James Casey, D Antonio, Forsyth, Hall, Iversen, Jannol, Moore, Myrick, Newton, Pelletier, Rose, and Wehrli. Two (2) members absent: Julie Casey, and Kertis. After the July Special Board Meeting, Members Douglas Chadwick and Jean Chadwick resigned their positions on the Board and as Committee Chairs to pursue their non-profit work at the Kiwanis Literacy Club. A quorum of 14 was achieved. 2. President s Comments. Possible Nominations to Fill Vacancies. President Myrick made a motion to seat Carlos Ferreyra as District 2 Rep. Motion made by Myrick. Seconded by Iversen. Carlos Ferreyra was invited to speak. Ferreyra, a past GVGC Board member, took some time off to attend to the heavy demands of his business. Business has stabilized and Ferreyra would like to rejoin the Board. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. Many members commented positively on Ferreyra s past Board service, indicating a desire to welcome Ferreyra back to the Board. Without objection, President Myrick called the question. Voice Vote. 13 Ayes, 0 Nos, 1 Abstention (Pelletier), 0 Ineligible. Motion passes. Carlos Ferreyra is now seated on the GVGC Board. With Ferreyra seated on the Board, and Friedman having arrived as this Item was completed, the Quorum count is now sixteen (16). GVGC is still seeking Board members. Please see the list of seven (7) open Board seats on page 9. President s Comments were deferred until later in the meeting. 3. Board approval of July 2, 2018 minutes for the Regular Board Meeting. Motion made by Myrick. Seconded by James Casey. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. None. Without objection, President Myrick called the question. Voice Vote. 14 Ayes, 0 Nos, 2 Abstentions (Ashkinadze and Ferreyra), 0 Ineligible. Motion passes. 4. Treasurer's Report. Treasurer James Casey indicated that, since July 1, 2018, the Board has authorized expenditures of approximately $4,400 and has approximately $37,000 remaining in the Treasury. James Casey proceeded to motions. A. Motion for Board approval of Monthly Expense Reports (MERs) as per DONE requirements. MERs are found on the following link: Motion made by Myrick. Seconded by Barmettler. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. None. Without objection, President Myrick called the question. Funding Action. Roll Call Vote: 13 Ayes, 0 Nos, 2 Abstentions (Ferreyra and Newton), and 1 Ineligible (Ashkinadze). Motion passes. B. Motion for Board approvalof expenditures of $ to reimburse Sloan Myrick of out of pocket expenditures for food/beverages at Committee Meetings at Uncle Tony's Pizzeria. Motion made by James Casey. Seconded by D Antonio. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. None. Without objection, President Myrick called the question. Funding Action. Roll Call Vote: 14 Ayes, 0 Nos, 1 Abstention (Myrick), and 1 Ineligible (Ashkinadze). Motion passes. C. Budget Advocate Report. Freddy Cupen-Ames, Budget Advocate was not present to give a report. 5. LAPD Senior Lead Officer ("SLO") Reports. Senior Lead Officer (SLO) Justin Bergmann announced the National Night Out will take place on August 7, 2018, 6:00 p.m., at Ralph s Market at Hazeltine Ave. and Ventura Blvd. This is a nationwide event held annually to get the neighbors out to support their local Police. SLO DuValley spoke on behalf of the North Hollywood Division of LAPD. She reported that crime in the western North Hollywood area (part of Greater Valley Glen) is down 8% overall from last year. SLO DuValley reported that she and others in the Division have been 2

3 working on a DVD on preventing car break-ins. This DVD could be shown at movie theaters such as Cinemark, on Victory Blvd. near Coldwater Canyon Blvd. Other local theaters have expressed interest in the DVD, once completed. SLO DuValley will send GVGC a DVD. The SLOs took questions from the Public and the Board. 6. Government Representatives Reports. A. EMPOWER LA, Representative Vanessa Serrano announced that there will be a CivicU meeting on August 14, 2018, 6:30 p.m., at City Hall, 100 w. 1 st Street. On August 20, 2018, at 6:00 p.m., at City Hall, EmpowerLA will host a gathering to take input on how EmpowerLA can work with neighborhood councils (NCs), businesses, and community organizations. Due to popular demand, Ignite LA, will be having another 6 week session for young women (16 24). Details to follow but the schedule will be from September to November Vanessa indicated she will be sending GVGC a map of GVGC that will be completed by the City Clerk in preparation of elections in She also alerted the Board to new funding procedures instituted by the City Clerk. These procedures are now available at the EmpowerLA funding website empowerla.org/self-serve/. No Public Comment. Board member Hall asked if an NC can submit multiple Community Impact Statements (CIS) on a single Council File (CF). Vanessa responded that this can be done. B. LA City Councilmember Paul Krekorian, Council District 2 (CD2). Sahag Yedalian, Field Deputy sahag.yedalian@lacity.org reported on several matters summarized as follows: 1) The Valley Glen Community Park playground is still going through work scheduling processes for installing the additional shade structure at the playground, 2) Sahag is working with the Valley Glen Neighborhood Association (VGNA) and residents on Calvert and Aetna Streets near Oxnard and Ethel Ave. area to install up to 6 Neighborhood Watch signs, 3) Sahag reported that 3 utility boxes at the Whitsett Blvd. and Oxnard Ave. area will be painted, hopefully between now and September, 4) Sahag invited all to attend a Block Party, this Saturday August 11, 2018 between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Lankershim Blvd., between Chandler Blvd. and Magnolia Blvd., 5) Sahag reported that two lighted crosswalks have been installed at Varna Street and Oxnard Ave., and Coldwater Canyon and Erwin Street, and a third lighted crosswalk at Ranchito Ave. and Oxnard Ave. will be installed, 6) The Ethel (west side) sidewalk grant - Valley Glen Community First/Last Mile Pedestrian Improvement Project - motion of support, is pending as Item # 18C on this agenda. Sahag wanted the Board to know that the grant is being applied for by City Bureau of Engineering and MTA. Source of funds for the grant is State of California funds. He also noted that LA Valley College wrote a letter of support for the grant since the grant involves Ethel Ave. north of Oxnard Ave. and south of Victory Blvd. Over 80% of the residents approve the grant. Some grant funds will be allocated for land buy-outs to those residents on the west side that oppose giving up land for sidewalks. The City would enter discussions on how to compensate those that can prove the City is encroaching on their property Sahag made the point that there are already sidewalk easements on most City of LA properties, so the property owners may not have grounds to stop a sidewalk project but they can always petition to receive some form of mitigation. Sahag took questions from the Public and the Board. 7) Finally, Sahag indicated that the next round of Speed Hump applications will open sometime in September. Sahag will let us know the exact date. C. Congressmember Tony Cardenas. Nigel Sanchez, Field Representative, announced that there would be a Job Fair hosted by the Congressman on 10/25/2018, at Mid-Valley YMCA, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 P.m. Nigel promoted the constituency services of the Office; namely Social Security issues and other Federal matters. D. Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian. Vanessa Carr, Field Representative for the Assemblymember, was not present for this meeting. 7. Guest Speakers. No guest speakers were scheduled. 8. Public Comments on Items not on the Agenda. Jacqueline Serrano, East Valley Mayor s Office Representative, intr9oduced herself. She is based out of Van Nuys City Hall and will begin attending the GVGC Board Meetings as a representative of the Mayor s Office. 9. President s Comments. President Myrick had no comment at this time. 10. Planning and Land Use Committee (PLUC) D. Chadwick, Chair A. Committee Report. No report. There is currently no Chair for this Committee. B. Motions for Board approval. No Motions submitted 3

4 11. Community Outreach Committee J. Chadwick, Chair A. Committee report. No report. There is currently no Chair for this Committee. B. Motions for Board approval. No motions submitted. 12. Government Relations Committee W. Hall, Chair A. Committee report. Chair Hall had no report and proceeded to discuss motions. B. Motions for Board approval. Motion B.1. The Greater Valley Glen Council supports the City Council effort to explore possible improvements to the Neighborhood Council system in order to strengthen their influence within City government, on City services in their communities, and on planning efforts in their communities. We do take exception to certain proposals enumerated in CF as follows: Changing the names of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) and the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (BONC) is unnecessary. At the same time we endorse the position that the purpose of DONE is to support the Neighborhood Councils, and at the same time BONC should not be involved in the day-to-day management of DONE or the Neighborhood Councils. Remove completely the concept of Community Interest Stakeholder from participation in Neighborhood Council governance and election participation. [In the motion, Interest was mistakenly written as Impact.] With small numbers of Stakeholders in most instances participating in the workings of Neighborhood Councils and in order to strengthen council diversity, a certain number of Board members should be allowed to be chosen by Selection, if allowed for in Council s bylaws. We oppose review of council bylaws by the Board of Neighborhood Commissions as a check on allocation of board seats among stakeholder types. The proposed roll-over into the next fiscal year of a non-cumulative maximum of $10,000 should be amended to be up to $15,000. We otherwise endorse the other proposals in the Motion. Motion made by Hall. Seconded by James Casey. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. Pelletier asked if the $15,000 cap could be raised considering the possible need to fund a larger scale or long-term initiative/program. Hall indicated that the $15,000 was a more reasonable recommendation. Without objection. President Myrick called the question. Non-Funding Action. Voice Vote. 15 Ayes, 1 No (Pelletier), 0 Abstentions, and 0 Ineligible. Motion passes. Motion B.2. The Greater Valley Glen Council endorses ongoing efforts to strengthen the enforcement provisions of the City ordinance regarding illegal trimming and removal of City trees being led by the Encino Neighborhood Council (ENC), and approves transmittal of that support to ENC s Board and to Councilman Krekorian. Motion made by Hall. Seconded by Iversen. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. None. Without objection, President Myrick called the question. Non-Funding Action. Voice Vote: 15 Ayes, 0 Nos, 1 Abstention (Myrick), and 0 Ineligible. Motion passes. C. Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (DWP) Representative. Chair Hall submitted a report appearing on page 12. Hall noted he became aware of a storm water capture project the City s Sanitation Department is planning along the northern side of the Victory Blvd. medians. There will be some concern about how this will affect the trees on the medians. President Myrick asked Sahag Yedalian to research the project to find out what stage it is in (planning, etc.) and if the Sanitation Department could have a representative make a presentation to the GVGC Board and Public. D. City Sustainability Representative. D Antonio submitted a report appearing on page 13. E. Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (VANC). Barmettler submitted a report appearing on page 15. 4

5 13. Parks, Community Improvements, and Medians Committee S. Myrick, Chair A. Committee report. Chair Myrick had no report. B. Motions for Board approval. No motions submitted. 14. Arts and Education Committee L. Wehrli, Chair A. Committee report. Chair Wehrli had no report. B. Motions for Board approval. No motions submitted. 15. Community Safety Committee Julie Casey, Chair A. Committee report. Chair Julie Casey was absent, and no report was submitted. B. Motions for Board approval. No motions submitted. 16. Ad hoc By-Laws Committee T. Newton, Chair. A. Committee report. Chair Newton indicated that he plans to schedule meetings to continue the review of Bylaws and to discuss recommendations to bring to the Board. B. Motions for Board approval. No motions submitted. 17. Board member comments on items not on agenda. President Myrick indicated that there may be a Special meeting in September to substitute for the Regular Board meeting as the first Monday in September is Labor Day and the subsequent Monday is the Jewish New Year. Sloan indicated that he would schedule a Special Meeting for mid-september. 18. President s Motions. Motion A for Board approval. President requests the Board approve expenditure of $ for use of a GVGC P.O. Box operated by West Coast Mail Center for next 12 months. Motion made by Myrick. Seconded by Wehrli. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. There was a question as to why the GVGC has to use a mail box. President Myrick responded that there are still some forms of correspondence that must be received by mail. President Myrick called the question. Funding Action. Roll Call Vote. 15 Ayes, 0 Nos, 0 Abstentions, 1 Ineligible (Ashkinadze). Motion passes. Motion B for Board approval. President requests the Board approve expenditure of $3, for 12 months of Victory Median maintenance to be provided by BMC Landscaping. Motion made by Myrick. Seconded by Ferreyra. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. D Antonio asked to review what GVGC is receiving in return for the expenditure. President Myrick answered that BMC performs general maintenance of the medians. There was comment as to how the proposed City Sanitation Department project might affect this expenditure. The Board discussed how the proposed project may be a few years out and that it would only affect the northern median. The southern median would still require maintenance. Without objection, President Myrick called the question. Funding Action. Roll Call Vote: 13 Ayes, 2 Nos (Barmettler and D Antonio), 0 Abstentions, 1 Ineligible (Ashkinadze). Motion passes. Motion C for Board approval. President requests the Board approve the writing an official letter of support in favor of the Valley Glen Community First/Last Mile Pedestrian Improvement Project, (installation of sidewalks along the west side of Ethel Ave between Victory Blvd. and Oxnard St.). Motion made by Myrick. Seconded by Iversen. Public Comment. Sahag Yedalian referred to his remarks on this project, which appear in Item #6B of this agenda. Board Comment. D Antonio expressed concern about likely tree loss as some trees would have to be removed to allow for sidewalk installation. Without objection, President Myrick called the question. Non-Funding Action. Voice Vote: 14 Ayes, 2 Nos (Barmettler and D Antonio), 0 Abstentions, 0 Ineligible. Motion passes. Motion D for Board approval. President request Board approval of the updated GVGC inventory report and 5

6 subsequent submission to EmpowerLA. Worksheet can be found at this link: Motion made by Myrick. Seconded by Ferreyra. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. None. Without objection, President Myrick called the question. Non- Funding Action. Voice Vote: 16 Ayes, 0 Nos, 0 Abstentions, 0 Ineligible. Motion passes. Motion E for Board approval. President request Board approval of the nomination of Jon Pelletier to Chair the Planning and Land Use Committee. Motion made by Myrick. Seconded by James Casey. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. None. Without objection, President Myrick called the question. Non- Funding Action. Voice Vote: 15 Ayes, 0 Nos, 1 Abstention (Pelletier), 0 Ineligible. Motion passes. Motion F for Board approval. President request Board approval of the nomination of Thomas Newton to Chair the Public Safety Committee. Motion made by Myrick. Seconded by Rose. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. None. Without objection, President Myrick called the question. Non- Funding Action. Voice Vote: 15 Ayes, 0 Nos, 1 Abstention (Newton), 0 Ineligible. Motion passes. Motion G for Board Approval. President request Board approval of the nomination of Julie Casey to Chair the Arts & Education Committee. Motion made by Myrick. Seconded by Jannol. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. None. Without objection, President Myrick called the question. Non- Funding Action. Voice Vote: 16 Ayes, 0 Nos, 0 Abstentions, 0 Ineligible. Motion passes. 19. Nominations for, and Election of, Vice President (to fill the vacancy as a result of the resignation of Jean Chadwick) President Myrick opened nominations for Vice President. Existing Board Members are eligible for nomination. President Myrick nominated Derek Iversen for Vice President. Motion seconded by Jannol. Iversen accepted the nomination and spoke of his interest in the position. President Myrick requested other nominations from the floor. There were no other nominations. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. None. Without objection, President Myrick called the question. Non- Funding Action. Voice Vote. 15 Ayes, 0 Nos, 1 Abstention (Iversen), 0 Ineligible. Motion passes. Derek Iversen is now Vice President of GVGC. 20. Adjournment. Motion to Adjourn made by Myrick. Seconded by Wehrli. Public Comment. None. Board Comment. None. Without objection, President Myrick called the question. Voice Vote: 16 Ayes, 0 Nos, 0 Nos, 0 Abstentions, 0 Ineligible. Motion passes. Meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Next Board meeting (unless preceded by any Special Meeting) and location will be on October 1, 2018, 7:00 p.m., at Los Angeles Valley College, Administration and Career Advancement Building, Room Submitted September 27, 2018 Mickey Jannol Greater Valley Glen Council Board Secretary 6

7 Disclosures provided with the Agenda for the August 6, 2018 GVGC Regular Board Meeting: The public is requested to fill out a "Speaker Card" to address the Board on any item of the agenda prior to the Board acting on an item. Comments from the public on Agenda items will be heard only when the respective item is being considered. Comments from the public on other items not appearing on the agenda within the Board's subject matter jurisdiction will be heard during the Public Comment period. Public comment will be limited to two minutes per speaker, unless waived by the Board President. The President reserves the right to further limit public comment time, depending on number of speakers. No person may assign their speaking time to another. This Agenda is posted for public review: on website and at Uncle Tony's Pizzeria, Victory Blvd., in Valley Glen. Per Title 11 of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate based on disability. Upon request, reasonable accommodation will be provided to ensure equal access to GVGC programs, services and activities. Sign language interpreters, assisted listening devices, or other auxiliary aids and/or services may be provided upon request. To ensure availability of services, please make your request at least 3 business days (72 hours) prior to the meeting you wish to attend by contacting EMPOWER LA at (866) *PUBLIC ACCESS OF RECORDS- In compliance with Government Code section , non-exempt writings that are distributed to a majority or all the board in advance of a meeting may be viewed at Uncle Tony's Pizzeria, Victory Blvd Valley Glen, CA 91606, at our website: or at a scheduled meeting. In addition, if you would like a copy of any record related to an item on the agenda, please contact Sloan Myrick, Board President, at ( ) or at smyrick@greatervalleyglencouncil.org. See the Following Pages for Vote Tally Sheet for Board Member Votes (page 8), Vacancies per Item 2 (pages 9-11), and Government Relations Committee Reports per Items 12C (page 12), and 12D (page 13), and 12E (page 15). 7

8 Adjournment 20x VP Election 19x President's 18Gx President's 18Fx President's 18Ex President's 18Dx President's 18Cx President's 18Bx President's 18Ax Gov't. 12.B.2x Gov't. 12.B.1x Treasurer's 4Bx Treasurer's 4Ax Minutes 3x Nomination of Ferreyra 2x Roll Call 1x VOTE TALLY VOTE SHEET TALLY Regular Meeting by by Agenda item item # # Michael Ashkinadze P Y A I I Y Y I I Y Y Y Y Y Y Joseph Barmettler P Y y y y Y Y Y N N Y Y Y Y Y Y James Casey P Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Julie Casey Joanne D'Antonio P Y y Y Y Y Y Y N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Carlos Ferreyra A A Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y September Forsyth P Y Y Y Y Y y y Y y Y y Y Y Y Y Stanley Friedman Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Walter Hall P Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Derek Iversen P Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Mickey Jannol P Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Malky Kertis Cosmo Moore P Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Sloan Myrick P Y Y Y A Y A Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Thomas Newton P Y Y A Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y A Y Y Y Jon Pelletier P A Y Y Y N y y Y y Y A Y Y Y Y Dianna Rose P Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Linda Wehrli P Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Present Yes N/A No N/A Abstentions N/A Ineligible N/A Recused N/A Sum of Yes and No Votes N/A Required Yes Votes to Pass N/A Pass/Fail N/A Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Quorum Count

9 Agenda Item 2. Vacancies The GVGC Board of comprised of 25 members. Presently, there are seven (7) vacancies. Board Members may nominate a stakeholder to the President and the President will submit the nomination to the Board for confirmation. Nominated Stakeholders shall meet the same eligibility requirements that apply to the position as required of elected Board Members. Vacancies are as follows: 1) One (1) District 1 Rep seat. Area north of Oxnard St., south of Vanowen St., east of Hazeltine Ave., and west of Woodman Ave., 2) One (1) District 2 Rep seat. Area north of Victory Boulevard to Sherman Way. East of Woodman Avenue to the Tujunga Wash, 3) One (1) District 3 Rep seat. Area north of Victory Blvd., south of Vanowen St., east of the Tujunga Wash, west of the 170 Freeway, 4) One (1) Educational Institutions Liaison seat, and 5) Three (3) Business/Merchant Liaison seats. For more particular definitions of these seats and their applicable eligibility, please review pages 3 to 5 of the GVGC Bylaws, per link below. Note, these the Bylaws appearing on the GVGC website contain an older version of the GVGC Bylaws. However, pages 3 to 5 regarding definition of the Board seats is accurate. The only exception is that Business/Merchant Liaison Rep seats are not only available to owners and employees of a licensed business in the GVGC area, the seats are available to an owner s representative. Also, home businesses qualify as a business. They merely must hold a valid City of Los Angeles business license as is required of all businesses interested in running for or being nominated for these seats... See maps on the next page to provide you with a better visual definition of the District boundaries. We are looking for energized people with a passion for community service who desire to take advantage of the empowerment offered by the Neighborhood Council concept to support and improve the Greater Valley Glen area and its stakeholders. If you are interested in becoming a Board member and are eligible for the any of the above vacant seats, you may contact any Board member at the GVGC website or President Sloan Myrick at smyrick@greatervalleyglencouncil.org 9

10 This map is a broad map of the Greater Valley Glen Council District boundaries. 10

11 This map provides some definition to the bounded Districts. 11

12 Agenda Item 12C. DWP Report Submitted by Walter Hall DWP Representative, Greater Valley Glen Council Evelyn Cortez-Davis, Assistant Director of Water Resources updated the attendees on a number of ongoing efforts affecting the City s water supply: One Water LA is an effort to identify projects, programs and policies that will yield sustainable, long-term water supplies for Los Angeles and will provide greater resiliency to drought conditions and climate change. High-level planning estimates show a fiscal impact through 2040 of $13.3B. More information is available at: Safe Clean Water Program LA County is concerned with stormwater and urban run-off capture programs. Proposed is a parcel tax of 2.5 per impermeable square foot of property. More can be found at LADWP Stormwater Capture Master Plan 2015 is an effort to quantify stormwater capture potential, to identify new projects and to develop appropriate programs and policies. Proposed Stormwater Capture Facilities include the Victory-Goodland Medians. More can be found at Status of LADWP leases with Commercial Ranch Operators in Mono County. More on this issue can be found at Ratepayer Advocate Fred Pickel reported that there were no California supply problems during the early July 2018 heat spell. However, as widely reported there were distribution (lower voltage) outages. The City has voiced its opposition to LA joining the California Independent System Operator (Cal ISO) and will continue to operate its own (high-voltage) transmission system. He also reiterated his office s previous estimates that over the next 5 years water rates are expected to increase at 5.3 percent per year and power rates by 3.86 percent per year. Submitted 12

13 Agenda Item 12D. Sustainability Report Submitted by Joanne D Antonio Sustainability Representative, Greater Valley Glen Council Urban Forestry Master Plan Working Group 9:00 a.m. City Hall Room 1035 The UFMP Working Group needs the public to fill out a survey, and members of the group have been asked to distribute it widely (deadline extended to August 15 and has been extended on GVGC website). Link to UFMP Public Input Survey: There is funding for an Urban Forestry Coordinator to lead while getting an Urban Forestry Management Plan. CFAC is working to find the right person, who may need additional staff. The Consulting firm Dudek has been doing one-hour interviews with the City entities that deal with our trees, and Dudek s reaction is that the situation is far worse than they expected. Joanne D Antonio of the NCSA Trees Committee was given the questions to answer in writing. Contact Joanne D Antonio jdantonio@greatervalleyglencouncil.org if you would like to see questions with her responses. Some of Dudek s findings from the interviews: Sustainability is missing from Urban Forestry no consideration of the return that trees provide. Tree data needs updating. Goals: increased leaf area. Needs based strategy: Urban forest must be recognized and managed as a valuable investment. The City and its partners should be bold in urban forest management. Urban forest management is a shared responsibility and working to get there is key. There has to be planning of protection. Need to be information-based: tree inventory by trained arborists + management software Equitable access needed for all residents. Data needed: how many trees lost/planted. (Too much trees give out and no one knows if planted.) All trees are valuable and large trees require special considerations to keep. Resource management is a weakness in the City Working Group spent time taking the vibrant Cities Lab assessment/goal: Los Angeles assessment =2 goal=109 gap=107; Melbourne gap: 44; Irvine gap 49; Toronto gap 77 (Parks kept LA from having a minus assessment score Long list of problems and what is not working Tree-related settlements $4 million/year and trending up Building and Safety needs to work with UFD Need Protected Tree zone over swath of hillsides Community Forest Advisory Committee (CFAC) 1:00 p.m. BPW at City Hall UFD report: will do pruning on weekends instead of using subcontractors. Kelly Richards of UFD retiring in 18 months Mayor s office report: Rebranding in lieu to tree guarantee program Public Comment: Shana Loveman spoke against removal of 19 large canopy shade trees on Cherokee 13

14 in Hollywood because a drunk person fell on sidewalk riding piggyback New Year s Eve and sued City. (Note: Public hearing for these trees was held on July 18 and Kevin James rule against the trees despite Councilmember Ryu s office s request to do pilot alternative sidewalk and CEQA legal challenge for removing trees without sidewalk repair EIR) Contact Joanne D Antonio if you would like a link to a video of these trees. jdantonio@greatervalleyglencouncil.org Community Forest Advisory Committee (CFAC) 1:00 p.m. BPW at City Hall Kelly Lewis of Urban Forestry reported that getting building permits now require a pre-inspection by UFD which should enable UFD to prevent unnecessary tree removals for driveway construction. Dead tree removals are now taking place in CD 3, 9 and 6. Leon Boroditsky of Rec and Parks reported on the progress of their parks tree inventory. They have a grant from Cal Fire and matching funds that equal $1.75 million to be spent completing their inventory and on parks in low income communities. Robert Gutierrez of Bureau of Street services report on challenges with inserting root barriers and problems with using decomposed granite in street tree wells. CD 4 CFAC Representative Julie Stromberg proposed a longer period of time be allowed between the time UFD issues a tree removal request for one or two trees and the when trees are actually removed. This would enable Neighborhood Councils to get involved. She is working on an opt in notification system with DONE. CFAC passed a motion requesting more time before any trees are removed on N. Cherokee to give time to work with the residents who do not want all their trees cut down for sidewalk repair. The entire street, 18 trees, were approved for removal at a Bureau of Public Works hearing in July 18 despite protests and there has been widespread media coverage of the objection to the remove of this large canopy. A 31 degree difference in temperature under the trees and in the direct sun was recorded on that street with a monitoring device on the afternoon of July 20. Submitted 14

15 Agenda Item 12E. VANC Meeting GVGC board member attending and reporting: Joseph Barmettler, Govt. Relations Committee VANC Meeting 7/12/18 Sherman Oaks Hospital, Dr. Conference Room, 6:30-10:00 PM Address: 4929 Van Nuys Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA. VANC President presiding: Jill Banks Barad. 2nd Chair Judith Daniels. GVGC board member attending: J. Barmettler, Govt. Relations Committee. SUMMARY HIGHLIGHTS: ITEM 1: NC Role in the planning process: ITEM 2: NC Funding Program, Leyla Campos, City Clerk's Office. ITEM 3: Keith Mozee: Bureau of Street Services. NOTES FROM VANC MEETING ON 7/12/18: ITEM 1: NC Role in the planning process: Tom Glick Policy Planning Division, Department of City Planning. Andy Rodriguez with Tom for SW Community Plan (does not include GVG Greater Valley Glen). SE Community Plan includes N. Hollywood, Studio City, and Van Nuys. West Valley planning started one year ago, after outreach programs. Series of outreach in 2017, asking community what they want to see in the Planning Update. 3 year plan goal for districts, plan to be completed by September was the last time West Valley did planning, was not touched for 17 years. The Plan is more than land use. Anticipates population growth, reports reflect population growth, housing, employment projections, etc. In the next 25 years most development will be on the transit lines. BRT Bus Rapid Transit - Orange Line. Growth concentrates by the Orange Line, not so in much single family neighborhoods. Website coming out soon. Outreach strategy being developed. Community Plan Update is for includes parallel projects with the Orange Line and decide zoning. Then an EIR is conducted and procedures made. They plan to protect single family neighborhoods and project development to be mostly on mass transit lines. Community Plan Process needs stakeholder input to shape it. SCAD Data is used for their analysis, mostly used for funding purposes. SCAD uses 2010 census data and then yearly extrapolations and projections for estimated population demographics basically to project future population. Community Plan will fold into overall plan and is the current challenge to tailor with RECODE LA and project zoning. Electric Car Charging Stations: DWP Planning: AVO Babian - SONC Chair of Green Committee. How to involve your community in placing charging locations. Shares his experience with Electric Vehicles and charging stations in Sherman Oaks and Valley. Jason Stinnett public relations for DWP talked about stakeholder participation to present to DWP for proposed charging stations. Property owner decides if they want a charging station. LADWP provides financial incentives and low carbon state funding for residents/stakeholders. Midnight to 8AM are the lowest load times for charging. Jason stated that Solar KWH cost is going down. There are 1,800 existing Charging Stations in the city of Los Angeles. 300 more are planned. LADWP is 15

16 assessing where charging stations should be located. 3 to 1 ratio, 1/3 of emissions come from EC vs. gas power. Incentives up to $9,500 for Electric car purchases. DWP offers $450 rebate for used ECS. $5,000 rebate for commercial sites per charging station. In discussions with LAUSD to install charging stations. Incentives are from State and LADWP pass through. DWP is willing to work with other NCs to make presentations to stakeholders. By 2022 LA will have 10,000 charging stations in the city of Los Angeles. Gov. Brown plans to have 250,000 charging stations in the state. L.A. has 10% of the cars in the state. Recent heat story saw between 46,000 to 90,000 customers that at some point lost power. By Tues AM all power was restored. Over 1 billion dollars is being invested into LADWPs infrastructure reliability. More info on website ITEM 2: NC Funding Program, Leyla Campos, City Clerk's Office. Leyla's office is always available to make presentations to NCs. Fiscal year close out of NC budgets, there was $368,200 left on the table. An estimated $320,000 for entire NC system was left over from all LA City NCs. They are trying to make policies and funding program more predictable. They will update polices two times per year. Changes will be published. NCs can comment on website and share their concerns. Make comments by end of July on website at She will send out blast for the deadlines. Note: Meeting Refreshments are not "outreach" expenses, they are to be listed under "operations" expense. Updates for Office of the City Clerk NC Funding Program Policies and Guidelines, (see Attachment 1 below). Scholarships: Many NCs grant NPGs. There used to be a blanket policy of no scholarship opportunities. Policy has changed, NCs can grant funds to groups that provide scholarships, but the NC cannot decide who receives the award. Must be 501C3. No maximum scholarship award. Raffles and plaques don't qualify. Permitting: (LA County and LAUSD) has become more difficult so make sure you plan ahead. If providing food drives, you may need distribute food permit (vendor) from LA County. Policy changes (in red) on website. ITEM 3: Keith Mozee: Bureau of Street Services. The department provide specific services and assist to help with other agencies. The Dept. will do NC presentations if requested, for tree trimming, lights, and potholes, anything you see on the street. His City Cell # , office # keith.mozee@lacity.org. END OF VANC 7/12/18 MEETING Attachment 1: ITEM #2 NC Funding Program Policies and guidelines (7/1/18) 16

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